wickersham



` UNITED N STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JN0.` B. WICKERSHAM,

OF NEV YORK, lN. Y.

CONSTRUCTION or IRoNTENoE POSTS AND TIES.

`Speccation of Letters Patent No. `15,750, dated September 16, 1856.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN. B. WICKER- SHAM, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction and Operation of Fence Ties, of which the` i the mode of constructing t-he post. or tieand also of fastening supporting and taking up the slack of the rail whether flat or round. Y

Figure 1 is a semiperspective view showing the manner of fastening and supporting the rails and of forming the tie. Fig. 2, is also a semiperspective view of a bracket tie similar in construction `to a detached portion of the lipped tie represented in Fig. l, and so out and formed asto be applicable to a woodpost.

This post or tie A, is bent or curved at B and the two edges C, O, brought around upon the rear of the `fence each forming Va` continuous lip upon the side of the tie. Each of these lips or flanges are mortised at various points Vopposite each other at heights from the ground corresponding to the position it is desired to fasten `the rail. Either the Hat or round rail may be held fast by this arrangement, but it is particularly adapted to Screen the flat rail. There are dierent modes of preparing and introducing the flat rail into the mortise`of the` lip and clutching them bythe key.` At D the ends ofthe rail are placed side by side and the mortise is made suiiciently large to receive them both-the corner key E, is then inserted and makes them fast to the tie. When it is desired to tighten or take up the slack `of these flat rails, the key E, is driven downward and as it is made wedge shaped and bears upon the corner of the post as a' y fulcrum it crimps the rail and thus shortens it and takes up the slack. At the same time it is 4held very firmly and the whole fence rendered very substantial. Another mode of unit-ing the ends of the rails in order to Secure them by a similar key is represented at F, Fig. 1. The rail in this case is split and halved together as represented, and the key (similar in construction) is made to hold both parts as in the former case already described. The slack is also taken up in asimilar manner when desired by driving the key as above stated. G represents a round railheld by a similar key and crimped in a similar manner and for a similar purpose.

Fig. 2 represents the clutch portion of my improved lipped post or fence tie. It is cut or stamped so as to form feetor bracketsV I, I, I, I, by which it is Secured to a wood post J, the lips or ears O are turned outward by machine power and punctured to receive the rail as specified above forming an angle to receive the key at the place where bent. The key E has an inclined plane upon one edge of it and the other edge is made to fit the corner as specified and represented. The key is tightened and the rail crimped to take up the slack as in the case already described for the other form of tie. i

l. I claim the doubleA lipped post or tie cornered and mortised upon opposite and corresponding sides as specified in combination with the inclined corner key E for holding and crimping the rail as herein above described.

2. I claimfso constructing the fence tie and key above named that it may be attached to a wood post in order to take up the lax tension of rim and Hat hoop iron and thus act as a compensatorfor the expansion of the metal when used for fences as set forth.

i JOHN B. WIOKERSHAM.

Witnesses: i

JOHN B. FAmBANK,

WM. H. STEPHENS. 

